National Beer Scoring System

Have you ever wondered how pubs are selected for the CAMRA Good Beer Guide?

Scoring beer in pubs is really easy!

The National Beer Scoring System (NBSS) is a 0-5 (0 = No cask ale available) point scale for judging beer quality in pubs.

It is an easy to use system that has been designed to assist CAMRA branches in selecting pubs for the Good Beer Guide and also monitor beer quality by encouraging CAMRA members from any part of the world to report beer quality on any pub in the UK.

If you are a CAMRA member, we want you to tell us about the quality of beer in the pubs you visit.

If you are not a member, why not join Europe's most successful consumer organisation?

As an incentive, when you score a beer you get entered into a prize draw to win free CAMRA books!

How do I score my beer?

You can score your beer online at home or if you have a smart phone in the pub!

What do I need to record?

We will also need your name and membership number but once you have registered these are recorded automatically in WhatPub

What do the scores mean?

0.No cask ale available.1. Poor. Beer that is anything from barely drinkable to drinkable with considerable resentment.2. Average. Competently kept, drinkable pint but doesn't inspire in any way, not worth moving to another pub but you drink the beer without really noticing.3. Good. Good beer in good form. You may cancel plans to move to the next pub. You want to stay for another pint and may seek out the beer again.4.Very Good. Excellent beer in excellent condition.5. Perfect. Probably the best you are ever likely to find. A seasoned drinker will award this score very rarely.

What if I can't decide on a score?

The NBSS allows you to enter half scores

How do I score a beer I don't like?

Ideally a beer should be scored to reflect how it has been kept. In other words its condition. However the ability to distinguish between a beer that is in poor condition, is unpalatable to our tastes but is meant to taste like that, or has been poorly made is going to be difficult for the untrained taster. In these cases it is better to score the beer as it honestly tastes to you. After all even if you don't like carrot and coriander ale, others may well do and therefore score it higher.

How do I ensure I am scoring appropriately?

It is important to realise that the scale is not linear. Only 0.5 and 1 indicate poor beer. This allows a wider range of scores for beer that is anything from uninspiring to perfection in a glass. Most worthy Good Beer Guide pubs tend to score either a 3 or 4 for their beers. Bland, uninspiring beers score a 2 and a 5 is something given once or twice a year. It is always worth reminding yourself of the descriptions associated with each of the numbers.